Smoke And Mirrors
by NotSoDangerousDan
Summary: "Me and you, we're the same. You just don't know it yet" After being separated from her father, Rachel is left alone with her 5 year old son and she'll do anything to keep him safe, even if that means sticking with the one-handed Merle Dixon \/ Merle X OC \/
1. Names & Pains

**Got the idea watching Supernatural.**

Rick clutched his wife's cheek which were stained with tears and planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. He looked down towards his son who was grabbing his leg and laughed with joy. "I knew I'd find you, I knew it. The photo album's, they were all gone" He explained. Lori simply smiled, her hands tightening on his shoulders. She took in every detail of his face. He was alive and breathing, not dead in some hospital.

Rick looked past Lori, looked around this camp. His eyes landed back on her, a confused and worried Rick looked at her "Rachel?" He asked, wondering why his eldest daughter was not here to greet him.

Lori bit her bottom lip and sighed, pulling back from her husbands grasp and taking her hands back, she looked down towards the ground, not able to string together any words.

"We went to get her" Shane gulped, walking forward "Went to her apartment but..." He ran ran his hands through his curly hair "I'm sorry man"

Rick stumbled back. She was dead? She couldn't be... But why would Lori his wife, Shane his best friend.. His brother, Lie to him? Rick placed both hands over his eyes and dropped onto the ground, not being able to keep his legs standing strong anymore. His only daughter was gone, and he didn't even get to say goodbye.

Rachel pulled the curtain back slightly and glanced out the dusty window, She had to go out on a supply run soon but the street's were crawling with corpses. She turned her head back towards the kitchen of the small house's kitchen and sighed. The food in that fridge would last maybe two days tops. She let go of the fabric and the curtain fell back into place over the window and walked over to the couch and threw herself down and let her dark brown hair fall over her face.

"MOM!" She groaned and blew hair out of her mouth, sending some of the strands to the side. She was so hoping to just fall asleep on the couch but sleep is never an option when your a mother. Rachel stood up and headed up the stairs. She put on a happy face before opening the bedroom door and looking towards her little boy Thomas. "Look mom" He held up a piece of paper proudly "Its you, Me and grandpa" She smiled as she walked over. She took the picture from his tiny hands and sat beside him, crossing her legs.

"It's great baby" She told him as her eyes wandered all over the paper. The first stick figure which was blue had a sheriff hat and a yellow badge so she assumed that was her dad. The next little figure was red and had a blue cape, that was Thomas. He loved super hero's so it didn't surprise her when he drew himself as one. Then the last one was purple and had long brown waves falling from it's head and a pretty smile drawn on her face. Rachel didn't smile anymore, she used to but not now, any smile she did was for her son, he was the only thing that made her happy now. She had no one else but him.

Rachel ruffled his blonde hair and stood back up "Hey Thomas, wanna help me make dinner?"

The little boy's face beamed as he jumped up and grabbed his mother's hand, basically dragging her downstairs. Only Thomas would be this excited about doing something as simple as Dinner. All you had to do was watch the pot of beans until it heated up.

Thomas ran into the kitchen and pulled out a can of beans from the fridge and then ran back towards Rachel who had just made it towards the living room. She didn't have her son's energy, he got that from his dad. She caught the can and turned it until she could see the label "Beans... again?" The little boy nodded, causing Rachel to huff. They have had beans every night this week. There was peaches and meatballs in there but no, Thomas loves baked beans. Rachel was so glad that this was the last can.

"Is it ready yet?" Thomas asked for the 100th time. Rachel shook her head and chuckled

"Not yet Tommy" Thomas sighed and crossed his arms, swinging his legs off the ledge of the counter.

"When will it be ready?" Rachel handed him the wooden spoon and took a step back, resting her palms on the cold metal of the kitchen sink

"When its starts to bubble" Thomas looked at the spoon in his hands then back up to his mother who laughed "Go on chef, stir it"

The little boy beamed once again as he got up on his knee's and leaned over the pot and dunked the spoon in, stirring it in a circular motion. After awhile it started bubbling rapidly and Thomas tried to lift it up by the base of the pot to pour the beans into their bowls, Rachel wasn't quick enough to stop him burning his hand.

Rachel looked up from her bowl and to her son who was happily eating away with his bandaged hand, not even phased. She sighed and began eating again.

After Dinner, Thomas fell asleep almost straight away which she was glad for. She really could not handle another game of Monopoly with that boy. She was sure he cheated every time. Either that or she was just at that board game. She hadn't even realised how light Thomas was until she picked him up to take him to bed, probably cause of the little amount of food they were getting. Rachel had maybe lost a few pounds aswell but she would be fine. She would start giving Thomas most of her share of food starting tomorrow.

Rachel carefully lay him down in the right side of the double bed and pulled the covers over his tiny body. She walked over to the nightstand and pulled open the drawers and started looking through the clothes that were left. Anything felt better than what she was wearing. A band shirt and a pair of black shorts and trainers weren't exactly ideal for this situation.

Rachel pulled out a a pair of ripped, light blue jeans and a red flannel shirt that had a gray hood attached. Who would leave clothes like this behind? Rachel flew them on the chair that sat in the corner of the room.

She walked to the edge of the bed and climbed in. Once her head was rested on the pillow and she felt her son's head roll onto her upper arm, she started feeling relaxed, even with all the dangerous thoughts that kept entering her head. The only thing that she did think about was the fact she had no idea where her father was or what he was doing... that was if he woke up from the hospital. She was planning on visiting the day it happened, but the army started barging through the streets, so she packed up and took her and Thomas as far away from downtown Atlanta as she could. After about a day they came across these nice houses. Thomas picked the one on the end, said it reminded him of a house from a story she read him once. Every house seriously looked the same but she didn't say anything.

"Night mom" She heard a tired voice say. Rachel shook her head and chuckled, he must not of been fully asleep.

"Night baby" She smiled and brushed a hand through his hair before falling asleep herself

**%_%**

It had been a month now since the outbreak, near enough a month since Merle arrived at Woodbury, since officer friendly forced him to cut of his own hand. Atleast he got this cool upgrade. He had been sent out to raid a couple houses Martinez spotted on a previous scouting trip.

Merle stopped his new ride the had been given outside the last house on the street. He stepped out and took some weapons from the bed of the pickup and headed towards the stairs of the house. He just wanted to go to sleep, it was late and he didn't have to be back for a couple days. That's when he noticed biters heading his way.

Merle walked with confidence towards the group of biters that were at the bottom of the street. It was such a hot night, he was pretty jealous of the fact they couldn't feel anything. That's probably why he enjoyed slashing those assholes the fuck up with his bayonet hand.

Once every last dead one was done, he made his way up the porch steps and inside the nice looking home. He pulled his pistol out from the back of his belt and held it up as he explored the bottom level of the house. The living room was empty, though that couch looked comfy as hell. The kitchen had some cans of food, one can of beans that might come in handy if he gets hungry.

He walked into the Dinning room, freezing when he saw two bowls sat on the table. He picked one up and examined it's contents. Smelled like beans. Was there people here? He quietly sat the bowl down and looked up towards the ceiling. They must be sleeping... Stupid fucks

Merle cautiously walked up the stairs, being careful to not make the wood creak. He opened the first door he came across. It was a kids room. There were crayons and bits of paper all over the floor. He stepped in, one drawing catching his eye. He picked up the paper and looked at it. Some kid had drawn his family. A mom, the kid and a granddad. Merle chuckled slightly as the granddad reminded him of officer friendly... oh the things he was going to do to that son of a bitch if he ever saw him again.

He walked into the next room. Bathroom, nothing special. The next room he walked into was pretty big and comfy looking. Nice big mirrors, chairs and a sweet looking double bed that he would love to pass out on.

"Huh" Merle licked his lips as he spotted two figures sprawled out on the bed. One was a young boy, maybe 4 or 5. The other was a pretty little thing in her 20's.

He kneeled down next to her sleeping body and started stroking her cheek with his blade, trying to wake her up. As soon as her eyes opened her shoved his hand over her mouth.

Rachel tried to keep calm as this man held his hand which smelt fucking terrible over her mouth. She started slowly moving her hand under her pillow where she kept her knife. Once she felt it in her grasp she started to feel a little better, knowing she could probably stab him if he tried anything.

"Now, ah'm gonna take ma hand away now"

This was her chance. His dirty hand left her mouth and she pounced. She rolled onto him, attempting to shove the blade in his face, but he was fast, too fast. He grabbed her wrist and rolled her over and started slamming her hand into the floor until she let go.

"Nice try freckles" He grinned as he stood himself back up, pulling her with him and pushing her towards the door. Rachel restrained, not wanting to go anywhere. Merle sighed "Come on Freckles, Ah don't wanna have to carry ya out"

Rachel started walking. Not because he asked her to, because she didn't want to wake up Thomas. He seemed so peaceful.

Rachel walked down the stairs, This man following her. He had heavy steps and smelled like cigarettes and beer... oh she could go with some smokes right now.

"Sit" Merle spoke as he pushed her on the couch.

"What do you want?" Rachel asked, getting annoyed

"Jus' a chat" Merle leaned himself against the wall and looked at her. Damn she was pretty. Nice long hair that would feel soft balled up in his hands.

Rachel leaned leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knee's "What? You brought me down here to talk about the weather?" She grinned

Merle narrowed his eyes, a smirk growing on his face "Just gonna ask ya some question's is all"

Rachel sighed "Go on then"

"Whats your name Freckles?"

"Rachel... Rachel Grimes"

**I might continue, I might not. Depends on what you guys think.**

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	2. Nightmares

_Thomas sat on the carpet playing with his new train set that had been bought for his birthday. Rachel stood in the kitchen, adding last minute details to his Marvel birthday cake. She always wanted to be an artist but she had to give it up after Thomas was born. Decorating his cake and posters for his bedroom wall is the closest she'll ever get now._

"_Daddy!" She heard Thomas yell from the living room. She chuckled, He's finished work early. Rachel took off her apron and pulled her bobble out, letting her hair fall and rest on her shoulders. Rachel then added the third candle and picked the cake up and headed towards where her family was._

"_Was wondering where you where" Shane smirked as he looked up from the floor where he sat with his son who was waiting for him to start playing trains with him again._

"_You think I would miss my only sons third birthday? Not a chance" Rachel smiled as she sat down next to them, setting the cake infront of Thomas who looked at it with complete joy. He had his mother and his father sitting on either side of him, smiling aswell and that's all he wanted. _

_After Thomas had blown out all his candles, opened all his presents and lost at quite a few tickle matches, He passed out on the floor._

_Rachel pulled the covers down on his bed and sat the teddies on the floor as Shane lay his body down carefully on the mattress and then they both made sure he was good before quietly closing the bedroom door._

"_I think we should celebrate" Shane grabbed her waist and pulled her close to his body and looked down at her, grinning_

"_And why is that?" She smiled as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck_

"_Because" He leaned his head down so their temple's were touching "... I feel like it" He planted a kiss on her lips before letting go off his grasp on her and turning her around to face the kitchen door "Now go get the wine women"_

_Rachel giggles as she hops off into the kitchen. Once inside and the door closes behind her she exhales deeply, letting go of the breath she had been holding. God she hated being all preppy and excited, but if it made Shane and Thomas happy then that's all that mattered._

_She crouched down and opened the fridge and traced her fingers over everything she came across until she felt the cool sensation from the wine bottle. She grabbed it and pulled it out, standing up she closed the fridge with her foot and headed out of the small kitchen._

_As soon as Rachel opened the door, the atmosphere changed. It wasn't happy anymore. She felt scared and sore. Rachel glanced down at her body, The wine was gone and her hair was longer. She was no longer wearing the orange floral dress that her father bought her. Now she was wearing black shorts and a red tank, showing fresh bruises all over. She looked back around the room, it was different aswell..._ _wait, She doesn't decorate the place like this for another year. _

"_Thomas..." She whispers. A year later... that's when... "THOMAS!" She screamed as she ran towards her sons bedroom and grabs the handle and pushes it down but the door stayed firmly shut. Rachel then starts banging on the door with her fists as hard as she can "THOMAS!"  
_

_A blood curdling scream then pierces the air... It was Thomas. It was starting. This is the time when Shane started becoming violent. Rachel was used to being hit by now, she could take it... But this night, Shane hurt Thomas and... and she couldn't stop it._

"_STOP SCREAMING!" She could hear Shane yelling at him, then a loud bang followed and that's when the screaming stopped_

"_THOMAS!"_

Merle stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up with a tired look. Grimes has been screaming and making all sorts of noises for about ten minutes now and he still couldn't decide if he should go up or not. Mostly because Rachel said if he did go upstairs while they were asleep, she would cut his balls off and feed them to him. While he highly doubted she could or would, his hunter skills always told him to never mess with a mama or her cubs... screw it.

Merle grabbed onto the banister and flung himself up the stairs, his feet making a bang every time they hit the floor. He was very tired and this shit was annoying and he just needed to get some sleep since he was leaving in the morning

Merle slowly pushed the bedroom door open and walked in. The little kid was sitting against the left wall, watching his mom thrash around in the bed sheets. He walked over and kneeled infront of the little boy. "What's up with yer mama?" Thomas looked around to his mother then back to the man "Nightmares" He spoke quietly. Kid was clearly just as tired as he was.

Merle exhaled deeply and stood back up and looked back towards the door. He could either A) Go back down stairs and shove the pillow she gave him over his head and hope for the best, leaving the kid up here to watch his mama; Or B) Take the kid into the next room and try to shut his mama the fuck up

He thought for a moment. A seemed like the best option in this case. This was not his problem, so the chick had nightmares boo-hoo. That's her issue not his. Merle looked back down at the kid cowering in the corner. When he kneeled down infront of him and looked into his eyes, He saw Daryl looking back at him as a scared little kid... Guess it's option B

"C'mon" He grumbled as he headed towards the door. Merle looked back, his hand holding the door handle. The kid was staring back at him but not moving.

"Ah said c'mon kid" Thomas held his arms out, wanting Merle to carry him.

Merle shook his head, narrowing his eyes "No" He said firmly. That was not Merle's kid and even if it was he still wouldn't hold him. Merle does not like children and normally they do not like him. Course most kids he had met had already been told the story of the big bad wolf Merle Dixon and to never go near him.

Thomas kept his ground, keeping his arms raised and widening his eyes like a puppy "Please" He stuck out his bottom lip. Damn this kid was getting on his nerves just like Daryl did at that age, constantly begging for Merle to do everything for him. Why are kids so fucking needy?

Merle took a breath and walked over, scooping the boy up in his arms he headed back towards the door. He felt Thomas bury his face in his neck, he could also feel the victory grin of the young boy. Had he really just gave in to a 5 or 4 year old? God fucking... He's gonna have to kill a dog or something to balance this out.

He opened the door to the kids room and walked in and sat the little boy on the train bed who huffed as soon as he hit the mattress "I hate Thomas The Tank Engine" Thomas crossed his arms.

"He hates ya too. now stay in here and Ah dunno... Draw or somethin'" Merle closed the door and let out a breath he had no idea he was holding... God he hated kids. Daryl basically ruined them for him since he had to take care of his worthless ass until he was 18.

Merle walked into the master bedroom where Rachel was still thrashing around 'You got this Merle. If ya can stop Daryl havin nightmares ya can stop a complete stranger... 'cept with Daryl you knew what his nightmares were and what to say' He shakes his head, getting that last part out 'Nah, ya got this'

He sat down by her feet and turned his upper half towards her and slowly placed his hand on her shoulder to keep her still. This would be so much easier if he had both hands. Everything would be easier if he had two hands... But he really liked this replacement. Merle then started chuckling at the way he left his hand back on the roof; Shoved on a pipe with the middle finger sticking up so he was flipping of whoever found it 'Concentrate you asshole'

Merle took a breath as his hand gripped around her shoulder 'Here goes nothin' he thought. Merle carefully stroked her forehead, brushing the sweat and hair away as he did so. 'If only Darlena could see me now' He thought as he started softly hushing the girl. "Everythin' gonna be alright ya here me" He said "As long as ol' Merle is here, nothin' can hurt ya or that boy"

Slowly but surely, Rachel started quieting down and her hitched breathing was becoming more normal "That's it freckles" He grinned "Jus' a bad dream is all"

Rachel then just stopped like everything was fine and that was good enough for Merle. He might actually sleep tonight.

Rachel sat up in bed and squinted her eyes as the sunlight seeped through the curtains and into her vision. She held her hand up and looked to her left "Thomas?" He wasn't there. She got up and walked out and into the kids bedroom and opened the door and peeked her head in "Thomas?" She spoke again, a little more panicked this time. The boy wasn't up stairs.. He's gotta be downstairs... No he wouldn't without her.

Rachel ran downstairs "THOM-" She stopped at the fifth step from the bottom and looked at the scene infront of her. There was Thomas, sitting with his legs crossed in the living room carpet, A monopoly board infront of him and a shit ton of money on his side... And on the other was Merle with little money and an angry expression plastered on his face as he moved 3 places, landing on Mayfair which had a hotel on it.

"Pay" Thomas held his hand out flat, waiting for Merle to hand over his 2000 monopoly bucks.

Merle grumbled something before picking up all the money he had and counting it out as he placed one note after the other in the childs hand "Ah only got 500"

"Then I guess you'll have to give me some of those cards" He nodded his head towards Merle's property cards. There was only 5.

"Which ones?" Merle narrowed his eyes, not wanting to part with any of them

"Railtracks" Merle reacted as if he had just been punched in the face. He had every single railway which he was pretty proud of... Or was until Thomas never landed on them.

Merle still refused to give up. He was NOT loosing to a 5 year old at fucking Monopoly. He calmly handed over the four cards and watched Thomas take his next turn. He rolled a 5 and moved the exact spaces he had to, landing on start and he happily took his 200 bucks... Not like he needed anymore money. Then Merle took his turn and moved 8 steps like the dice said and landed on the chance. He picked up the card, hoping it to be something good.

_Go straight to Jail_

"Fuck sake" He muttered under his breath as he moved the hat into Jail and let Thomas roll. He landed on kings street... Of course he would land on it after Merle gave him the property. Merle then took his turn, he had to get a double. He rolled once. 5 and a 2. He rolled a second time. 6 and a 1. He then rolled the last time he could. 7 and a 3. "Motherfucker" He looked down at where their used to be money.

Thomas laughed "I win"

"How tha hell do ya win? Ah could pay with this" He held up his only property card

"No you can't, you can only pay with Money" Thomas retorted

"Then why tha hell did ya make me give you the railway's"

Thomas shrugged and stood up "Wanted you to play longer" He then turned and walked off into the kitchen, probably going to eat some of those candy bars that were just sitting in the fridge.

"I see you stayed" Merle turned his head and looked up at Rachel who was stepping forward, still not quite sure what she just watched. Considering the conversation her and Merle had last night, she did not think for even a second that he would play a board game... especially with a little boy that may or may not cheat.

Merle pushed himself off the carpet and stretched, moving his shoulders and head around. Now he remembers why he doesn't sit on floors... Hurts like fuck.

"Well... Ah would of if that little boy didn't bet me he could beat me at Monopoly"

"What did you bet?"

"Two candy bars" He grinned as he sat himself on the couch, leaning his head on the back off it and taking a deep breath. Why the hell didn't he sit here and play, get a table infront to put the board on or something... God that would of been so much better.

Rachel sighed and leaned herself against the wall, crossing her arms across her chest, she looked down at the floor. Was he actually going to leave or just sit there having a couchgasm.

"Wanna talk 'bout it?" Rachel glanced up and looked at Merle who was now looking at her. Seriously what the fuck. One minute he was the sarcastic douchebag that you don't mess with and the next he was playing board games with her son and asking her if she was okay.

"Talk about what?" She looked back down

"Yer nightmare"

Rachel shook her head, He wouldn't understand if she did "Isn't important"

"That's where yer wrong Freckles... My baby brother used to get nightmares 'bout our ol' man. Never pushed him ta talk 'bout it, but when he didn't it really fucked him up... worrying 'bout somethin' that aint ever gonna happen again"

Rachel really didn't like this... He was making a surprising amount of sense. Atleast she think's he is. Rachel was not up for talking about her past with a stranger that she just met last night because he intruded her home... Well it isn't really her home but still.

Then again it would be nice to get it off her chest. Maybe just give him a few not so detailed details. Merle was the only other person she had talked too in a month that wasn't a child... Well maybe more than a month. She never really left her apartment before unless she was taking Thomas to school or she was visiting her father in hospital.

Rachel walked over and sat next to Merle. Why the hell was she doing this...

"It was about my ex-boyfriend, Thomas' father. It started off normal. It was Thomas' third birthday... Then it was a year later and I heard Thomas screaming. His dad had started hitting me which I was used to cause of my mom who blamed me for my dad leaving... But that night" She could already feel her fear and guilt returning "He hurt Thomas and... I couldn't stop it"

"What's his name... Tommy's ol' man?" Merle asked, not like he would ever meet the sonuvabitch that hurt his own kid.

Rachel snorted and rubbed her eyes "Shane..." She turned her head to face him "Shane Walsh"

Merle's eyes widened... Shane Walsh. He always knew there was something wrong with that asshole. Now he really wished he had kicked that guys ass when he had the chance.

"What?" Rachel asked, her head tilted in confusion

"Was in a group with him. He was a real asshole. His wife Lori was a bitch aswell"

Rachel felt her heart pang "Did she have a son?" Merle nodded. Rachel felt anger rise up in her. There was a reason Merle thought Lori and Shane were married... She should of fucking known. Rachel stood up and started pacing the room. She always suspected Lori was fucking Shane behind her dad's back but now it was confirmed. Shane probably told her Rick was dead so he could officially have her.. God they probably kissed with people watching. She felt like she was going to be sick... Ugh she hated that women even more now.

"Shane isn't Married to Lori!" Merle looked at her, this time he was the confused one

"My dad is"

**%_%**

Lori watched as her husband played with Carl. He was so happy to have his father back, but she could tell he missed Rachel also and she hated it. She looked back up to Shane who was pacing backwards and forwards with his hands in his face

"Her and her kid are probably dead now anyway... He wont find out" Lori tried to reassure him. Shane shook his head and stopped and looked at her, placing both hands on his hips as he did so.

"I got a bad feelin' Lori"

Lori raised a brow as she stood up and walked infront of him, a stern look on her face now "She's dead and so is that brat of a kid" Shane narrowed his eyes, that was his son she was talking about.

"You hated that kid aswell so don't even start with that bullshit Shane" Shane sighed and looked over at Rick... He didn't mind lying to Lori but Rick? No that felt wrong... especially about his eldest daughter and grandson.

Rick sat on a stump watching Carl show him all the new rope ties that Shane had shown him in his absence. Noticing his father wasn't entirely focused, he changed the subject and sat down the ropes. "Do you think Rachel and Thomas are in heaven?"

Rick's head shot up, his eyes red. He still couldn't get over that fact she was dead. Carl looked at his father with as much concern as an eleven year old could. It seemed to be enough to snap Rick out of whatever trance he was in. Rick gulped and nodded his head lightly, pulling his son into a hug that Rick needed.

"Course they are son... Course they are"

**The first chapter got a pretty positive response so I got this chapter up as quick as I could. Pretty proud of it actually :33**

**Follow/Favourite if you want to see more and review or PM me to tell me what you liked/didn't like about this chapter or the story in general.**

**~Erin**


	3. The Ass-Kicking List

"OPEN UP!" The men yelled. Sometime after the one-handed redneck left, Rachel and Tommy decided to move on and found themselves a little cabin in the middle of the woods. These guys must of seen her when she was gathering supplies at some point "C'mon... We know your in there!" Rachel crawled towards the backdoor with Tommy right behind her. As slowly and quietly as she could, she opened it and prayed that the men wouldn't come round this way. She sat herself up and handed Tommy his little blue bag that was filled with various necessities like food and water and even a little knife that she should him how to use and when to use it

"Alright" she said quietly "I need you to listen to me very carefully" She opened up his bag and took out a small map. It was Merle's, he circled where his camp was incase they ever decided to come join. He even drew directions with a black marker. Rachel took the same exact marker that she had also put in his bag and circled where they were right now "I need you to go here" she pointed at Woodbury "Okay? You think you can do that using this map?" Tommy shrugged "Right Tommy, you remember when your granddaddy showed you how to use maps? You remember right?" He nodded "Well this just that. You just gotta follow the lines from here to here, okay?" He nodded and took the map "Good boy" she breathed out. She turned her head in the direction of the front door and let out a shaky breath "Go. Now" she closed up his bag and pushed him out the door gently

"What 'bout you?" He asked quietly, wondering why his mommy wasn't coming

"I'll meet you there, okay? Now go Thomas, you have to go" He nodded, took a big breath then ran into the wood's. When he vanished out of Rachel's eye-sight, she closed the door, took a breath and then stood up. She couldn't risk running off with Thomas and having the men follow them. She had to deal with them on her own. She pulled her gun out of her back pocket and started slowly walking towards the front door. She took a breath, took the safety off her weapon and then opened the door

-O-

Tommy stopped running to catch his breath. He leaned himself up against a tree and took three big breaths. He looked back, no one was there. He looked down at the map he still had clutched in his hands and squinted his eyes at it. He needs to go... forward. Yeah, forward sounds about right.

Three loud shots echoed through the air, causing him to drop the map and cover his ears with his hand's. Once they stopped, he looked in the direction they came from and realised that's where he had been running from "Mommy" he muttered and began walking towards it but then stopped. She said she would meet him at Woodbury and she doesn't lie. He then spun around and began walking forward

He walked for a long time in the same direction and it got boring but he kept at it for his mommy. He reached into his pocket for the map and panicked when he realised that it wasn't there "oh no" he whispered, turning around to look at where he had just been. He didn't pick it back up

Tommy started darting his head around, trying to see if anything looked similar to something that was on the map but nothing did. He dropped to his knees and held his hands over his eye's and started sobbing. He was lost

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there but he knew it was a while since it was no longer day time. The only reason he actually looked up was because he thought he heard some noises. He sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve "Hello?" he called out. Another noise came from behind him and he whipped around. He pulled his bag off his back and pulled the knife out of his and made sure to have a firm grasp on the handle like his mom told him

He spun around and screamed when a large monster jumped on him. He held his hands up and pushed on it's chest and moved his head away from the monster's teeth which kept biting down, trying to take a piece of him.

Aim for the head

His mom's voice filled his head. He slowly looked at his hand to see he had managed to keep the knife in it and not drop it. He counted to three and then moved his hand and pointed the knife up. The monster dropped down and the blade went straight through it's under bite. When it went limp, Thomas pushed the monster to the side so it rolled off him. He stood himself up and brushed off his jacket which now had red splotches on it. He looked down at the now dead monster and felt a sort of pride build up in him. He killed it. He killed it by himself with no help whatsoever. He leaned down and pulled the knife out of the monster and wiped the blood off on his jeans. He then looked back down at it and puffed his chest out "I'm the boss!" He proceeded to kcik the monster a couple of times before more moans in the distance decided that he had to run... right now... leaving his bag which had his food in it

-O-

It's probably been about two weeks now since he had last seen Rachel and that kid. Why did he keep thinking about them? Maybe it's because that was the only women who ever threatened him... or many it was because that fucking kid was a god damn cheater. Whatever it was, he wanted it to stop. He had more important thing's to worry about; like kicking the shit out of Martinez for tripping him up earlier to see if he could catch himself. Oh yeah... Merle was gonna tear that little shit a new one

"Hey princess! Get your head outta the damn clouds and watch the fucking street!" Merle looked up from the packet of cigarette's that he had been flipping in his hand and up at Devon. They two of them were on guard duty which consisted of taking out walkers that got too close to the fences and making sure that no assholes managed to get in. Boring most days but on occasion some cocky son of a bitch would appear, thinking he could sneak in and when that happened, Merle got to deal with it any way he please (As long as he was on duty that is)

"I'll princess you..." His sentance faded out gradually as he realised if he started another fight that wasn't scripted then the Governor would have his ass. In this place, you got three strikes and Merle was already on his fifth

"Hey Merle, check this out" He stood up and walked over and leaned over the wall. Devon was pointing his flashlight into the street, bringing focus to the most scrawniest, tiniest biter he ever saw. It actually looked like a kid with his boy-ish features and the two sizes too big clothes that looked like hand-me-downs "Wonder how the kid died" It was a kid... And speaking off there was no clear bite wound or... there was nothing. If this kid died of anything it would of been starvation. Something about this biter seemed off. It seemed aware. It wasn't acting like the other biters "Oh well" Devon raised his gun and aimed at the biter and only then did Merle realise

He wasn't a biter

"NO!" He yelled as the bullet fired. Merle vaulted over the wall and ran towards the young boy. Thank god Devon had shitty aim. The kid's face was covered in blood and his cheeks were hollowed. He must not of eaten in a while. He scooped the boy up in his arm's, making sure to try and not move his shoulder were the bullet was "Devon you fucking IDIOT!" He yelled up at him as the gate opened

"What?" He asked, stepping in to view from behind the gate

"He's fucking alive" He barked as he jogged passed him "Radio Alise!"

"Is he okay?" Devon said in a panicked voice

"He will be if YOU FUCKING RADIO THE DAMN NURSE!" Merle Started running through the empty town, the wind hitting his face. He kept glancing down at the boy. He looked familiar but... no it couldn't be. Tommy was on his mind which is probably why this little kid reminded him of Thomas

Merle kicked open the door to the clinic, almost taking it off it's hinges. It better not of broken cause if it is then they're gonna make him fix it and do you know how difficult it is to fix a door with one hand? He ran down the corridor, calling out for Alisa. She peeked her head through one of the doors and motioned him in

"Devon radioed, crying about how he shot a kid. I grabbed as much as I -Put him here" she motioned to the medical bed. Merle lay him down and made sure his head was on the pillow "We're running low on supplies remember so I did as best as I could. Now Merle, I need you to hold him down"

"He's out cold" Merle pointed out in case she didn't notice

"Yes I know that but if he wakes up while i'm getting the bullet out then I could injure him more

"Right... yeah okay" Merle jumped onto the medical bed and onto the other side of the boy. He was small he barely took up any room on it. Merle's hand hovered over his chest and he looked up at Alisa for conformation. She slapped his hand away and huffed

"Not yet, we gotta get his jacket and top off. Quickly" she clapped her hands impatiently and Merle raised a brow. Was she expecting him to do this? Isn't she the nurse here? He shook his head and got on with it anyway. He unzipped the boy's jacket and lifted his upper body slightly so he could pull it off. He did the same with the kid's Iron-man top. He threw the bloody clothes on the floor and then laid him back down

"Alright now can ya help him?" He asked. Alisa may of been a nurse but she was a damn bitch... and she hated kids. She didn't even like helping people and constantly complained that everyone expected her to do everything. The only people she actually liked helping were the Governor and himself... damn suck up

He pushed his hand down on his chest and watch Alisa get to work. She felt around the back of his elbow and gave a sigh of relief "There's and exit wound" well that makes her job easier doesn't it. She poured some alcohol on the wound then easily stitched it up and wrapped a bandage around it "There" she stood up and kicked the tray of supplies to the side and then headed towards the door

"Where the hell you goin?!" he yelled

"Home"

"What about the kid?!" he yelled louder as she left the room

"WATCH HIM!" She called back

Merle looked down at the boy and huffed. What does she mean watch him? she expects Merle to look after him; a young boy. Well he did look after Daryl but that was a long time ago. He curses under his breath and lifts the boy up into his arms "Careful" he murmurs, trying not to jolt his shoulder. He was really going to have to kick Devon's ass tomorrow. Just another guy to add to the list.

He left the clinic and headed towards his apartment which was located near the Governors. He held the boy closer to his chest, realising that he had barely anything to cover him and it was pretty fucking cold out. He pushed the door open with his foot and jogged in and up the steps up to the top floor. His was right down the very end. He cursed again when he had to re-adjust the kids position so he could open the door. Thank god this kid's asleep. He walked in and slammed the door closed behind him. He lay the kid down on his couch and threw himself down next to him. Now what the hell should he do?

The first thing he decided to do was fill a basin with warm soupy water so he could give this kid a bath since he was dirty as fuck and was already messing up his furniture. He lay a towel down on the floor and laid the kid on it -first making sure to remove the kids jeans so he was just in his boxers-

"This ain't weird, just cleanin ya up" Merle said to himself out loud as he took a cloth, dipped it in the basin and then starting cleaning the dirt and grime off him. It took a while since most of it was really dried in but Merle managed and was shocked to say the least when he had done

"Thomas?" he breathed out. No this was impossible. Thomas is with his mama back at that fancy house playing monopoly and cheating to win. But if this really is Thomas... then where the hell is Rachel?

**Wow so first off I want to say sorry for not updating sooner but I had serious writers block for this story but then all of a sudden BOOSH! Idea. So here it is and I hope you liked it.**

**You will also notice I changed the name of the story and I did this because Broken Love is a stupid name but Smoke And Mirrors sounds awesome. I am going to try and update more I promise but don't expect it daily since I have like 5 stories now**

**Follow/Favourite if you want to read more and PM/review to tell me what you liked/didn't like about this chapter or story in general**

**Till next time folks**

**~Erin**


	4. Sentimental Types

Rachel slumped onto her back, staring up at the night sky through the gap in the roof of the dilapidated farm house she had basically crawled to. She was cold, wet and bleeding out... dying. She groaned, pushing her hand further onto her bullet wound and hissing as she did so. Rachel was positive she had been safe. After fighting her way through those asshats with her last six bullets, she thought she had made it but oh no... they had to refuse to let her go. They just HAD to refuse to give up and hunt her down. They clearly must not of been happy that their prey escaped. If those walkers hadn't come by when he pulled the trigger and messed up his aim... she would be dead

She guessed she'd done alright with her life. Went to Art School but quit that because of Shane... Had Thomas... messed up the first couple years of his life because of Shane... maybe she hadn't down that great. Let a guy run everything she did for too long. The only good thing she did was get away from him before he ended up killing her or Tommy

Tommy... god only knows where he is. She liked to think that she would know if he died, she would feel it in her bones. Maternal instinct maybe? Yeah... that sounded right. No, Thomas was alive and well... hopefully. Maybe he found a new group that took him in, who would look after him better than she ever could. Or maybe... just maybe he found Merle's group. She smiled, remembering that asshole Redneck. He put on a tough guy act but in reality he was just a giant teddy bear. Rachel internally cringed at that thought... did she really just think that? God... when did she become so sentimental? No way in hell would she ever call some strange dickbag that broke into her (not) home in the middle of the night... then again she also wouldn't let that same dickbag stay in said home for a couple days and allow him near her five year old son. What was happening to her?

Maybe it was better she was dying. She clearly wasn't able to make smart decisions to keep Thomas safe. Atleast wherever he is now he'll be doing a whole lot better than he was with her. Under her care, he burned both his hands. Under her care, he almost fell down the stairs. Under her care, he played Monopoly with a strange man. Merle could of been a damn pedophile for all she knew and he was with her son. Alone, While she was upstairs fucking napping!

She rolled her head to the side and squinted her eyes, trying to see through her dazed vision. There were figures getting closer to her. Biter probably. She looked back up at the sky and took in a deep breath. It was better this way

**-O-**

**4 Hours Earlier,**

**Woodbury**

Merle sat at his dining table, map in front of him. It had been three days since Thomas appeared at Woodbury and turned Merle's life upside down. The kid woke up a couple hours after Merle put him in his bed and would not stop screaming so instead of Merle actually doing his job he had to look after him. Not that Merle didn't want to. The kid was pretty beaten up and not to mention skinny as fuck, needed someone to care for him since he also looked like he hadn't eaten anything in a week. Merles bedroom was pretty much filled with medical supplies by now since he kept brining them over so he wouldn't have to take Thomas back over to the infirmary (Thomas hated hospitals and anything to do with them) There was also the fact that Thomas wouldn't let the nurse near him so it was Merle that had to change his bandages, check his temperature and all that stuff. She said it would be so much easier to just keep him at the infirmary but Merle refused, saying "Even the toughest guys would get scared in a hospital" and Merle sat at his dining table, map in front of him. It had been three days since Thomas appeared at Woodbury and turned Merle's life upside down. The kid woke up a couple hours after Merle put him in his bed and would not stop screaming so instead of Merle actually doing his job he had to look after him. Not that Merle didn't want to. The kid was pretty beaten up and not to mention skinny as fuck, needed someone to care for him since he also looked like he hadn't eaten anything in a week. Merles bedroom was pretty much filled with medical supplies by now since he kept brining them over so he wouldn't have to take Thomas back over to the infirmary (Thomas hated hospitals and anything to do wi

Daryl... how was he? Was he even still alive? No, of course he was that's a stupid question. He's a Dixon for crying out loud. Only person that can kill a Dixon was a Dixon. The real question is has he ditched that Atlanta group and hit the road, surviving on his own and maybe even looking for his older brother. The last part he doubted... but he sincerely hoped that idiot left the group that left his kin of a roof to die, forced him to cut of his own hand. God he hated that cop. If he ever saw him again he was getting a face full of his fist and then he'd curse out everyone associated with him. No way he'd want to know anyone related to the guy that thinks it ok to do something like that

Merle let out a breath and lowered his forehead to the table. Where the hell did this kid come from? Why was he alone? Where the hell was Rachel? He found himself grinning, remembering the feisty brunette. Not the first girl to sass him. Definitely the first to be confident while doing it. All the other whores to ever do something like that cowared under his gaze straight after and clearly regretted it, scared to think what he would do to them because they opened their pretty little mouths. God damn idiots. Who the hell even started that fucking rumour that he hit women? Only dickbags hit women... Like that fucking Shane Walsh. Oh, if Merle ever get on his hands on that prick... oh, he'd regret ever laying his hands on that girl and her little boy.

Girl? Nah, she wasn't a girl. She was definitely a women and she proved that on his last night. "One time thing" he thinks is what she said "No strings attached" and "Never know when your next gonna get some" was more words she used to describe it. It was then he knew he liked her. Some women get too attached and... needy. They say they understand its never gonna happen again but then the next day are at your side like their your girlfriend. Not Rachel.

Why the hell was he thinking about it with a stupid grin on his face then? He guessed it was an unforgettable night. The things she could do... they way she made him feel! Christ... The only way he could describe it was the feeling you get after taking Heroin of even Meth for the first time and you get that amazing high that you can never feel again. Wow, he was getting sentimental

Merle shook the thoughts out of his head and focused back on the map. Tommy had filled him on on us much as he could with what had happened since he last seen them. Told him about them leaving the fancy houses because of the monsters, about the log cabin they found, about the bad people and how Rachel told him to run. The rest of it was a blur to Thomas. In fact, the last thing he remembered was walking up in Merles bed. It wasn't much, but it was enough to help Merle shorten the list of where she could be. He had narrowed it down to the St. Johns Dairy which was about a days walk from that cabin they had been staying in and some run down Motel that was a couple miles north or said Dairy farm

Merle grimaced, remembering the raid of the St. Johns dairy. It was his first time out of Woodbury since he had arrived and they were heading to some Farm that one of the other guys scouted. They wet there in hope of finding some animals that might of survived to bring back and maybe start up their own farm.. be self sufficient. But what they found was much... much worse. In the back of the barn there was a slaughter room which struck them as weird since it wasn't a cattle farm. Then they found the body parts. All cut up in a shower that was placed in the corner of the room. Cannibals lived here. In the house there was some old lady that had been gnawed on by a legless biter. In the barn there was some guy with a pitch fork through his chest and outside, just by the gate there was another dude that had been shot. Some weird shit went down here and he was glad he wasn't around for it.

"Do you know where my mama is?" Merle rolled his eyes up sp he could see Thomas who was sitting at the other end of the dining table, eating away at the sandwich he had forced Merle to make because if he didn't have a sandwich he would "Die a horrible death" ... kids are so weird

"Maybe" Merle answered, scanning over the map again. These were the only two places she could be. Merle scratched the back of his head and sighed. How the hell was he going to get the governor to agree to let him take a group out to find one women? What would he say to convince him that it was top priority? Maybe he could spew out some shit about how a child needs there mother. Would that work? There was one idea that could work... Rachel would not like it though. The Governor has this rule that if you find a relative/partner or you know where they could be, you are allowed to go and get them since "_Family is everything_". She would probably kill him if he had everyone thinking they were together... maybe sister? He could probably pull that off

Merle stood up and headed towards the door, ready to go tell the Governor everything he was already planning in his head. If the Governor asked why he didn't tell him his sister was out there sooner, he would say he wanted to narrow down the search area before he went out (which wasn't really a lie) and also, he couldn't leave his nephew in the state he was in. If he had went out there and found her, she would of ripped his damn head off for leaving her son alone and injured. He was still injured now though. Just not as bad. He was doing pretty well for someone who got shot three days ago. If he asked why he never mentioned that the boy they found was his nephew, he'd say he didn't want people to know. Kid doesn't exactly like attention and his people knew he was related to the infamous Merle Dixon then he would be swarmed. This was easy

"Where you goin'?" Tommy asked, not moving from his seat. Pretty sure he couldn't without a little bit of help. Yes, it was his shoulder that was hurt and yes, he had been eating a lot but his muscles were weak as hell from lack of use so he wobbled a lot when he walked. Merle was going to have to put him through some kind of work out soon. Toughen him up

"Gonna go see if I can't get a search group together to find your mama. That cool with you?" Tommy nodded excitedly. Merle gave him a smile before heading out only to walk back in a couple seconds later and over to him. He had almost forgot you can't leave kids alone. Maybe Lilly would watch him? Lilly was this chick that got brought in just before he did. Found her hiding in a broken down RV not far from the train tracks. She didn't talk much but it was clear she had a soft spot for kids

"Where we goin'?" Tommy asked as Merle hoisted him up onto his side.

"_You_ are goin' to stay with a... nice? Lady named Lilly while I'm gone"

"How long will you be gone?" Tommy asked, getting slightly concerned. The longest Merle had been away from him was about ten minutes tops and that was because he had to make trips to the hospital place. Tommy had seen the map that Merle had been focusing on so much and those places looked pretty far away. He liked Merle and didn't want him to leave him like his mama did. Tommy might even go as far to say he loved Merle. He didn't really know what a dad was suppose to be like but if he had to guess it would be like Merle was to him. Merle played games with him, Merle didn't yell at him or call him annoying, Merle laid in bed with him until he fell asleep. Merle was nice. He wished Merle was his dad

"Bout a day. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it" Merle smiled at him. Yeah... He really wished Merle was his dad. His own dad would just yell something at about being a needy brat and to suck it up. He would tell him that he aint gonna be around him forever and he had to get used to it. Merle didn't do that. Merle made him him feel safe while hos own dad did the exact opposite of that. Thomas didn't like his dad... he was scary. Merle wasn't, Merle was nice

**-O-**

**Present,**

**The Red Motel**

They probably would of gotten here a lot faster if fucking Dufresne hadn't decided that it would be a good idea to check out the pharmacy that they passed on the way._ I don't care if we are low on supplies Dufresne, we gotta keep focused on the task at hand. _

Merle sat in one of the three Trucks they had been issued, one foot firmly on the ground and the other resting on the open door. He lifted up the Walkie-Talkie so it was closer to his face and listened to Kripke who was on the other end

"We're about 10 minutes out from the Dairy, you guys?" He asked

"Just arrived at the-" Merle looked up at the large sign that towered over them. It once read "The Red Motel - Family Friendly" but over the past couple months it had lacked basic care and some of the letters had either fallen off or were stolen. Not that anyone would need steal giant letters for any peticular reason but... it happened "- Te ed Mote" Merle answered, sighing "Keep us posted"

"You got it, boss" Kripke agreed. Merle stood up and hooked the walkie to his jeans and headed over to where his men where waiting just by the entrance. This place must of been used as some kind of camp. There were giant bins shoved right up against the gate, there were chairs everyone and even crayons on the ground around the rooms. Must of been kids here. Wonder what happened to 'em. Maybe the group got run out? that would explain the biter bodies that were littered around the place.

They checked the place out but found nothing and no one. Place was empty apart from a bag of medicine the found in one room. It was filled to the brim with penicillin and bandages. Who the hell leaves something like this behind? This would be something you pick up before you make an exit, no?

"Merle, your sister ain't here" Singer informed him, slumping against the brick fence that lined the place and adjusting his cap

"Yeah, I noticed" He grumbled, turning away from the group and bringing the Talkie back up to his face. It had been what? Almost an hour since he last talked to group B? Surely they must of found something. Before Merle could even speak into the Walkie, his attention was pulled else where as one of the Two trucks that went up to the Farm raced by and the other skidded to a stop and Edlund was hanging out the door looking really panicked

"WE GOT HER!" That should be a good thing right? So why did he look so scared?

**Them Telltale Walking Dead references tho. And did anyone else notice Edlund, Kripke and Singer? No?... Dammit Supernatural Fandom!**

**I don't even know when the last time I updated this was and I'm sorry. This is what I get for having six active stories... I CAN'T HELP IT OKAY IT'S A CONDITION! But yeah other than that sometimes I get really weird writers block for a while but then randomly I get a lot of inspiration and yeah thats basically why I've been up since midnight writing this. It's now 04:30am and I don't even regret it. **

**Anyone else loving daddy!Merle? **

**AND ERMEHGERD RERCHUL! I wonder if she'll be okay... ~Le sigh~ She better be. And yas for Genius Merle coming up with the Sister story. Though I found one plot hole. What if you realise you love Rachel? What then Merle? I mean I know you're a Redneck but c'mon... Incest aint cool, bro**

**Follow/Favourite if you want to see more and PM/review to tell me what you like/didn't like about this chapter or the story in general**

**~Daniel (That's my name now lmao)**

**(P.S if there are any mistakes in this chapter then you its because I haven't slept in a seriously long time and if I don't post this know I never will so I can't just "Wait till morning")**


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